Friday, August 15, 2008

The Patriots signed 16 year veteran John Lynch to a 1 year deal, reportedly worth $1.5 million. This was in response to losing newly acquired safety/linebacker Tank Williams to a season ending knee injury. I'm not getting overly excited about this signing, although the temptation to drive down to the Pro Shop and look for a #47 jersey is strong.

Lynch turns 37 in September. He's no longer a full-time player. And he's never been that great in pass coverage. But what he can do is come in on running/short passing downs (1st and 10, 2nd and 7, and so on) and plug up any gaps in the front 7. Having Lynch behind them will allow the linebackers to be more aggressive in stopping the run.

Lynch allows Rodney Harrison to stay fresh and healthy. Harrison's been plagued by injuries the past few seasons, and he's also been quieter on the field than we're used to seeing. If he's given time to rest, he'll be a much more effective playmaker.

So even though this acquisition doesn't significantly help the pass coverage situation, it helps the defense overall.

Just in case you're wondering, that picture is of New Hampshire Governor John Lynch.

The Red Sox finished their 3 game sweep of the Rangers with a 10-0 victory, capping one of the most productive series in recent Red Sox history.

In this 3 game set, the Red Sox scored 37 runs, had 42 hits, hit 5 homeruns, and 15 doubles. David Ortiz was 5 for 10 with 9 RBI. Kevin Youkilis was 7 for 13 with 7 RBI. Jed Lowrie was 7 for 12 with 5 RBI.

The Rangers have one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball, but this was still an impressive series for the Sox. 5% of the runs the Rangers have allowed this season came in the last 3 games. And 5.9% of the runs the Red Sox have scored came in the last 3 games.

Daisuke had a typical Matsuzaka start, somehow going 7 scoreless innings despite allowing 6 hits and 5 walks. The fact that he has 14 wins and a 2.74 ERA flies in the face of conventional pitching wisdom. His WHIP is almost the exact same as it was last year (1.32 in 2007, 1.34 in 2008). He's walking batters more often, but he isn't allowing hits (specifically, he isn't allowing extra basehits) that would knock them in.

I hope everyone out there enjoyed the offensive explosion these past few days, because things are about to change. The team with the lowest ERA in all of baseball is coming to town: the Toronto Blue Jays. Paul Byrd will be making his Red Sox debut against Roy Halladay Friday night.